


Birthday Parties

by Lyssandra_Med



Series: Lovingly Dysfunctional [14]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:14:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25958836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyssandra_Med/pseuds/Lyssandra_Med
Summary: Bellatrix cocked her head off to the side, trying, and failing, to remember what the hell that meant. She’d not done any that she could remember-‘Oh gods.’Or; clowns appear at parties whether you hire them or not.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Bellatrix Black Lestrange
Series: Lovingly Dysfunctional [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1456105
Comments: 3
Kudos: 75





	Birthday Parties

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Stargazer_01](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stargazer_01/gifts).



> Written based off of a lovely prompt by Stargazer!

“Come on, Bellatrix. Let’s go already.”

“No,” came the petulant response, tone high and nasally in the way that Bellatrix used whenever she was more opposed to something on principle than practicality. It was one that Hermione had gotten used to during their first year of marriage. It was Bellatrix’s,  _ ‘You can’t make me,’ _ voice, and Hermione had come to take great pleasure in proving it wrong.

“Come on. Look, Delphi’s already in the car. She didn’t even howl about her toys. Just come along and it’ll just be a few hours before we can-”

Bellatrix rounded on her and tried her damndest to glare -  _ which really wasn’t very effective at all, her eyes were much too expressive and that face just too angelic to Hermione for it to do anything other than look beautiful and inviting _ \- while grousing out, “Absolutely not. I will not be a party to this party. Andi brought it on herself.”

Oh. So  _ that _ was the reason.

Again.

“Look, if you won’t do it for Andi do it for Nymph. For Phi. For all their little friends, okay? You don’t even need to talk to the other parents if you don’t want to, I won’t make you. Just stick by my side and it’ll be over before you know it.”

Bellatrix stuck her tongue out, “No.”

Oh by all the-

“Unless…”

Hermione stilled, locked up tight by the twist of her wife’s voice. Her hand paused where it was on her hip, the other free to rub at her chin, pull a twist of black curls and clearly convey that she was deep in  _ thought. _ Or rather it was enough of a pantomime that Hermione rolled her eyes and exhaled with all the force that she could muster.

She already knew it would work. No matter what Bellatrix said, she’d give in. She’d done it before. Would do it again.

Appeasement. But that was fine, more or less. Bellatrix might act like a pouty child but Hermione had grown used to this dynamic.

She gave in without much effort to resist.

“What? Unless what?”

Bellatrix turned and sauntered over with a devilish gleam rolling through her silver eyes -  _ less silver and more grey, but Hermione would never tell Bellatrix that _ \- and a smirk that twisted at the corners of her lips. The taller woman paused before Hermione and leaned in as gently as she could, close and soft until her lips were  _ right _ up against Hermione’s ear. She waited a moment as warm puffs of breath skittered across Hermione’s ear and neck, one after the other and tongue just peeking out to run against the shell of her ear.

“Unless  _ I _ get something out of it. Hmm? How about it. We can go and ask dearest Andi if she wouldn’t mind letting Phi stay over for the night. And if not her then Ted. I mean that’d be nice for them all, right? Nymph doesn’t get  _ that _ much time to spend with her cousin, why not let them make a night of it?”

Hermione frowned and leaned away from Bellatrix’s imposing form, running her mind through all the plans that she’d had for the rest of the night and morning afterwards.

Nothing important.

Or rather there was nothing important enough that it couldn’t be shifted, moved and placed back elsewhere.

“Okay. So what do I get out of it?”

\---

Three hours in and Bellatrix already wanted to go find some lonesome corner to disappear in. That wasn’t to say she didn’t love her niece -  _ Nymph was an adorable little child, and she could only say that her sister was lucky to have such a loving family _ \- or believe that she didn’t deserve the best.

There were just too many kids.

Hermione’s friends from school had brought all of their own, Delphi had brought hers and Nymph had done the same. There was a little run named Scorpius running around and knocking into knees -  _ and seriously, who in the world named their child  _ **_Scorpius?_ ** _ They were simply asking for a therapy bill, somewhere down the line _ \- and Narcissa had brought Draco. There was a gaggle of constantly moving children and Bellatrix hadn’t even tried to memorize all their names. Too many of them, too fast. Too fresh-faced and hyper.

But Hermione had made it clear she intended to make good on her end of the bargain and Delphi was having fun. Andi had even been cordial enough to  _ suggest _ that she stay over, something Bellatrix hadn’t even been counting on. If she had she’d have certainly asked for something more, but, that was that.

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth and all that.

Children’s parties, sleepovers, little gifts for little tykes. It was a world that she’d never dreamed of back before Delphi had been born and now one she wished she’d not imagine, or rather had imagined herself not being there.

But here she was, and Ted had an amazing array of wine vintages that were only complimented by the hors d’oeuvres.

Maybe that was where the night went wrong. A belly full of food and alcohol, complacent and enjoying herself -  _ despite constantly looking for reasons not to _ \- as she wandered about. She’d weaved from inside where Hermione and Narcissa traded tips on home decor to the outside where Harry and Ted stood over the grill, trading thoughts on how best to cook burgers and steaks. The children were all busy milling about a half-finished tree-house, and she stood there watching as they ran around in a game of Tag.

“Auntie Bella,” came the high and airy voice of her little niece, a tug on her free hand pulling Bellatrix around.

She knelt and smiled, smoothing away an errant curl of Nymphadora’s -  _ again a name that she couldn’t exactly understand, but one she couldn’t grouse about since she’d named her own child Delphini _ \- hair. “Yes sweetie?” she asked, beaming at the little girl.

“Phi says that you can cartwheel, can you? Please?”

Bellatrix cocked her head off to the side, trying, and failing, to remember what the hell that meant. She’d not done any that she could remember-

_ ‘Oh gods.’ _

Delphi had barged in through the bedroom door the night before -  _ and damn it all she’d known that lock was flimsy, she’d reminded herself, again and again, to go ahead and replace it but  _ **_no_ ** \- and while Hermione might have had the sheets to hide her shame there was little to explain just why Bellatrix had been hanging off the end of the bed.

Cartwheeling away from the bed and towards the door -  _ with a little explanation that she’d been showing Hermione a circus trick _ \- to pop Delphi back off to bed had been natural at the time.

Simple. Just something to distract her, nothing more.

_ ‘Oh fucking gods.’ _

“Delphi says you were showing-”

“Okay! Okay, okay! Alright Dora, let’s go, I’ll do the cartwheel.”

\---

“You shouldn’t have done the fucking cartwheel.”

Bellatrix squirmed back further into her seat while pointedly staring  _ away _ from her wife. She watched the scenery flow past as they swiftly approached the hospital, world outside nothing but a blur as they moved.

Her head bumped gently against the window as she sucked in air, “Well. Too late, I suppose. It’s a good thing Andi agreed to take Delphi.”

“It’s a good thing you didn’t end up breaking anything else. You’re not a spry teenager anymore.” Hermione glanced across the dashboard as she aimed their little car towards the receiving end of the Emergency section. “You’re lucky that you didn’t hit any of the kids either-”

“Look, look. I know. I did it once before so I supposed it’d work again. And I didn’t want Delphi telling them  _ how _ she’d seen it anymore.”

Hermione was silent as she parked, the doors unlocking with a click as she turned the key and pulled it from the ignition.

“Well, then I suppose I got what I wanted. In a roundabout way, at least. How’s your wrist feel?”

“It’s fine,” Bellatrix waved the limp end of her arm, face set rigid in a grim facade of cheer. “Fine as it can be at least.”

“Small miracles then, I suppose.”

“Mhm.” Bellatrix waited patiently as Hermione came around to open her door, sprightly stepping out when she did so. “No more birthday parties.”

“No,” Hermione kissed her gently before grabbing her unharmed hand and leading her off towards the sliding doors. “No more birthday parties.”


End file.
